Dr. Kevin Moore spoke at Thriveabetes about how people with diabetes are not getting the health service we deserve or that is possible to have.He talked about how he and his team in Tallaght Hospital put in requests for improvements and how most times those requests fall on the deaf ears of hospital management.

However, he said that when patients get involved, it makes things happen. Not only do the doctors have to request changes, but we have to ask for it too.

It turns out that we have an opportunity to test this out this month.

The Model of Care Document for Children with type 1 diabetes.

Some of you might already have heard that the HSE has postponed, indefinitely, the publication of a Model of Care Document, which is aimed at improving the care of, and future outcomes for, children and teenagers with Type 1 diabetes. It’s kind of like the Irish version of the NICE guidelines being used in the UK.

When this document is published it will kick off all of the improvements on our wish list of a better healthcare service for our children and teens with type 1 diabetes. And then, we will be able to focus on what the adults with type 1 diabetes need.

Where did this document come from?

In 2011, the HSE set up the Paediatric Diabetes Working Group (PDWG), to figure out how to improve services for children with type 1 diabetes in Ireland. Click on the link above if you would like to know more about this group.

This is how children aged 6 years and under were prioritized for access to insulin pumps. The objectives outlined in the Model of Care 2012 document were implemented (just barely) by 2014.

What about Children over the age of 6 years?

Since 2012, the PDWG has been developing a model of care for ALL children with type 1 diabetes.

This is the document that has been postponed! The HSE agreed with the Minister for Health to launch this document on the 21 October 2015 and this was changed to 4 November 2015. Now, that date is being pushed out again, indefinitely!!!

What can we do to get this document published?

We can send emails and letters to our TD’s asking them to ask the Minister for Health what the cause of the delay is and when will it be published. I have attached a draft of a similar letter that I send to our Clare TD’s a couple of weeks ago. If any of you are like me and struggle with the composition of a formal letter (OMG It takes me forever!)

The more letters and emails our TD’s receive on this issue, the less likely they will be to ignore it. Letters and emails also mean that the issue formally goes on record.

I don’t know about you but I am sick and tired of waiting for all of this to happen - I was offered a chance to do something and I took it! I hope I’m not alone?